ATCO Career

[possible ATCO]

Hello everyone,

A newbie here so please be gentle, just discovered these forums and thought I would post for some inormation please.

I applied recently to be an ATCO with NATS but dont have the academic qualifications, hence I didnt even get to the first stage so I wondered wouldnt they look at relevant aviation experience as the reason I have not got any highers is due to the fact I left school at 16 to be employed in aviation, and its not just working for a catering agent, I have been aircrew, dispatch, fuelling and flight planning, I also have my private pilots license on aeroplanes.

I was kind of hoping that because I have that kind of experience that it would be considered but no luck so I wondered does anyone have any useful tips they could pass on to me or should I simply go and try and get the further education that they asked for.

I also thought maybe since Sep 11 they have been taking less people on and can afford to be picky but like I say its just a thought.

Thank you in advance guys n gals and hope to hear from you very soon.

Regards
possible ATCO.

p.s. could you tell me do SERCO take on peeps looking to be ATCO's or do they only employ ready made ATCO's????

[niknak]

I would say that your best option would be to try and get a job as an ATC assistant at an airfield where the ATC services are not provided by NATS.
NATS provide a great training scheme, but it's not as great a career as it once was.

Your background in avaition should compensate for the lack of academic experience, but be warned, the competition is strong, as most ATC managers now take on atc assistants with a long term view of some of them being potential future atcos.
In the first instance, write to the ATSM (Air Traffic Services Manager) at every airport in the vicinity (the more local - the better chance you stand), enclose a brief but detailed CV and covering letter explaining why you want a career in atc and why you are the best candidate. Then follow it up with a telephone call a week or so later asking if you can visit the atc unit and also fix an appointment with the ATSM during the same visit - even if they have no vacancies. Be polite, but persistant.
SERCO run most of their recruitment of "ab - initio" atc staff on the same basis, and if you're considered good enough, you'll be put forward for the aptitude tests and future training in due course.

You could try Highlands & Islands Airports, but they tend to recruit ab initio atc staff directly from the local population, or their own staff.

Good luck.:)

[athene]

I would say keep trying, determination counts for a lot, but it won't hurt to get the qualifications, especially if that was your only stumbling block and by starting to study you are proving that you have listened to them and are prepared to do what it takes to get the job!! Good Luck ;)

[possible ATCO]

Thank you for the help niknak and athene appreciate it and will take it on board.

Regards
possible ATCO